All Roads events increase in popularity this year

All roads will lead to Oberlin this week when prospective students and their families come to visit and get a taste of Oberlin College life.

All Roads Lead to Oberlin began Thursday and will continue until Tuesday. During this time prospective students will have a chance to meet with students and professors, tour the campus and attend classes. Director of Admissions Debra Chermonte said, "The week is jam packed with things to do."

There are also several information sessions planned and a President's reception so both students and parents can meet College President Nancy Dye, Oberlin alumni and other administrators.

The different days of All Roads have been arranged so that students can pick different activities that are interesting to them. "We hope they'll go to classes and if they haven't taken a tour, we hope they'll do that," said Chermonte.

Saturday at 11 a.m. there will be a Student Service Fair which will have representatives from several different departments on hand to answer questions. "We are putting them all in the same place this year," Chermonte said.

According to Admissions student intern senior Garth Stidolph, approximately 400 students registered to participate in the week's activities and were still calling to sign up yesterday. With parents and siblings added to the crowd, "It could be a thousand people easily," Stidolph said.

All Roads was organized by Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Chris Lucak and a committee which began preparations in December.

"The program has evolved over the years and I really do think that it is strong enough to have tremendous participation this year," Chermonte said.

According to Stidolph, there have been meetings every Friday to discuss the events and schedules of All Roads.

"We have been running around trying to get things done and answering phone calls on how to get here, where to stay and things to see," Stidolph said.

Gina Holmes, a prospective student from Baltimore thinks the All Roads program is "good because you get to see the campus and know more about Oberlin."

Her mother, Viviana Holmes, said, "We've been here a short time, but I am amazed at how beautiful the campus is and what wonderful architecture there is here, which is something you don't see in brochures."

She said she believes the program is "absolutely necessary to make an informed decision."